Sunday 22/11/2026 – SWOA and NGOC League 11 – Soudley Woods – Preliminary Information

Soudley is a mature, mixed woodland on the steep valley sides of the Soudley Brook. Most courses will use the steep hillside to the east of the Soudley Ponds. The longer courses (Black and Brown) cross the minor road to use part of the forest to the west. Running conditions are varied, with some runnable open beech woods, as well as slower terrain with recent thinning. There are many charcoal platforms and some fine contour details from former mining, old field enclosures and quarries. The longer courses (Black, Brown and Blue) have route choices including a network of public footpaths around cottages, gardens and paddocks which will be new to most orienteers. Some areas are impacted by recent thinning operations.

The threat to our forests and woodlands has never been greater. Trees and plants in Britain are now vulnerable to a range of new pests and diseases as a result of a combination of climate change and the increased movement of goods around the world. Activities in forests can increase chance of spreading a pest or disease. Everyone who visits or works on managed forests can make a difference.

Please arrive with clean footwear and clothing and clean footwear and clothing either on site or at home before visiting another woodland, “Leave the Forest in the Forest”.

Black, Brown and Blue courses have 1:10,000 maps. All other courses have 1:7,500 maps.

Areas of recent thinning, with heavy brashing that may slow progress, have been mapped with the undergrowth slow run symbol (widely spaced vertical green lines). Generally, routes can be found around the brashings. Dense bramble tends to be limited to open, track-side situations. Bracken is localised and seasonal dieback will be well advanced. Following recent storms there are many fallen trees that are not mapped. These generally occur individually and can be avoided. Several temporary wooden shelters, hides etc are also not mapped. There are dangerous crags on slopes south of the start.

All courses use surfaced footpaths around Soudley Ponds on approach to the finish. These footpaths are popular with dog walkers and competitors should be respectful and careful of other users.

For biosecurity reasons, the Soudley Ponds and adjacent marshes are strictly out of bounds and orienteers must only use the surfaced paths and bridges as shown on the map.

Black, Brown and Blue courses will encounter private land, clearly mapped as out of bounds, and fences must not be climbed. Adjacent public roads are also marked out of bounds. Orienteers using OOB areas will be disqualified.

The start is located 300m and 70 m steeply uphill from the assembly on rough tracks. Allow 15 mins. There is a slightly shorter direct route from priority parking to the start.

The finish is located 100m from assembly. You must report to download when you finish or if you retire.

SI Touch free punching is enabled, but all runners must punch both Start and Finish.

Standard SW League courses are available: Brown, Blue, Green, Short Green, Light Green, Orange and Yellow. In addition Black and Long Orange and a Trail Run (TD2) will be available. The senior courses are planned to encourage cross-country running, with options for less direct track and path running in some places. Given the nature of the terrain, courses include significant climbs and course length has been adjusted accordingly.

The Yellow course will have a short taped leg which passes through a small car park. The route will be clearly marked but care should be taken around moving vehicles.

Course details will be published in due course.

There will be a string course located very close to assembly.

We will use SI Timing, in contact and touch free modes. All runners must however punch the Start and Finish controls.

You MUST go to Download even if you do not complete your course – we need to confirm that you are back safely!

Whistles must be carried by juniors running on their own and are highly recommended for all competitors. If you hear a distress whistle, please go to assist.

Split starts. In order to minimise demands on scarce volunteer resources we operate a 90 minute start window for this event, and we recognise that this can be a challenge for parents seeking split starts. We are happy to accommodate split starts provided:

• You let us know in advance that you need a split start. Do this by emailing the organiser, address in the introduction above
• You come early; the start team will normally be ready to allow very early starts up to 30 minutes before the published start time, so aim to be there with this in mind. We do not offer starts later than the published end of the start window.
• The shorter course runner goes first. We will not turn you away if you can't manage this, but it gives you both a better chance of beating the course closure time.

To be confirmed.

The standard Fabian4 terms and conditions offer an automatic refund up to 2 months before the event date, and we do not normally vary this specification. That means that in most cases no refunds are possible, as we do not publish details until less than 2 months before the date of the event.

However, for all except large events we hold entries open until only a day or so before the event, so you can delay entry if unsure whether you can run, until very close to event day.

Dogs are allowed in the area and courses as long as they are under control and owners tidy after them.

Toilets will be available in the assembly area.

We hope to have catering and kit traders present.

If you are interested in obtaining club kit, whilst there will not be an extensive range of sizes to try on at the event, we can have a few sizes available for specific items. You can see the options, and a size chart, on the Club Kit page. Email paul@ngoc.org.uk with details of any items, and relevant sizes, you wish to try, and we can have those available.

Important: Please note that as from 1 January 2026 Non-members of British Orienteering are not insured under British Orienteering’s public liability policy. By entering this event, you acknowledge that you are participating at your own risk.

First Aid will be available at assembly.

Safety bearing. If lost the best option is head west, downhill until you meet a forest track and follow that downhill until you reach the Soudley Ponds car park and then follow the well-made path, south beside the ponds until you meet the route to that start and retrace your steps to assembly.

The Soudley-Blakeney Road lies on the eastern edge of the map and is marked as OOB. This is a narrow road with poor visibility and fast traffic. It should only be accessed in the case of an emergency. On Black, Brown and Blue courses some route choices use public rights of way along access roads to private properties. Care should be taken for any vehicle movements, cyclists, horses and pedestrians, especially when using paths between buildings with low visibility. As noted above, Black and Brown courses cross a minor road and car parking areas.

There are steep slopes and old quarry workings and great care should be taken when descending slopes especially in wet conditions. There are no significant streams that need to be crossed apart from the Soudley Brook, which must be crossed on surfaced paths and bridges.

All log stacks must be avoided.

Courses other Black and Brown are planned to avoid forest tracks where orienteers are parking, however orienteers should be aware of possible vehicle movements on forest tracks.

Orienteering is a great sport for young people. If you bring children, please help us to keep to our safeguarding policy and British Orienteering’s photography policy.

By entering this event, competitors agree to abide by the British Orienteering Code of Conduct.

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NGOC follows British Orienteering’s national guidance. This provides a sensible balance between the benefits and risks associated with the taking and use of images. If you are unsure about acceptable practice, please speak to the event organiser.